Performance Index Determination For A Communication Service

1. A method of determining a performance index related to a performance of a communication service provided in a network, the method comprising: determining, on an individual user terminal basis, a performance index specific to a user terminal using the communication service by comparing performance information associated with a characteristic location of the user terminal and performance information associated with at least one other location visited by the user terminal; and wherein the performance index is indicative of a relative performance of the communication service at the characteristic location of the user terminal compared to the at least one other location visited by the user terminal; wherein the performance information is subscriber-level performance information derived from subscriber-level performance statistics; and wherein the characteristic location is a location determined by at least one of: a longer time interval spent by the user terminal at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location; a higher visiting rate at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location; and a more intensive usage of the communication service at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performance index is indicative of the performance of the communication service as perceived by a user of the user terminal at the characteristic location.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic location is a location determined by a longer time interval spent by the user terminal at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the characteristic location.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the characteristic location is determined based on location information indicative of locations of the user terminal within the network.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the performance information is associated with the location information.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein determining the characteristic location is based on at least one of: residence information associated with the location information, the residence information being indicative of a time interval spent at a location indicated by the location information; visiting information associated with the location information, the visiting information being indicative of a visiting pattern of the location indicated by the location information; and service usage information associated with the location information, the service usage information being indicative of a service usage at the location indicated by the location information.

8. The method of claim 7 : wherein performance information is obtained at equally spaced points in time with a constant time interval there between; wherein the performance information comprises performance data for several of the points in time, the performance data being associated with a common location indicated by the location information; and wherein the residence information is obtained based on the performance data and the location information.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining the characteristic location comprises calculating a characteristic location indicator based on at least one of a value derived from the residence information, a value derived from the visiting information, and a value derived from the service usage information.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein calculating the characteristic location indicator comprises calculating a weighted combination of at least two of a value derived from the residence information, a value derived from the visiting information, and a value derived from the service usage information.

11. The method of claim 9 : wherein determining the characteristic location comprises comparing the characteristic location indicator to a threshold; and wherein a location indicated by the location information qualifies as a characteristic location if the characteristic location indicator is greater than the threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 : wherein a first characteristic location indicator is calculated for a first time scale; and wherein a second characteristic location indicator is calculated for a second time scale.

13. The method of claim 12 : wherein determining the characteristic location comprises comparing the first characteristic location indicator to a first threshold and comparing the second characteristic location indicator to a second threshold; wherein a location indicated by the location information qualifies as a characteristic location if the first characteristic location indicator is greater than the first threshold and the second characteristic location indicator is greater than the second threshold.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning a value to the performance index based on a first performance value derived from the performance information associated with the characteristic location and a second performance value derived from the performance information associated with the at least one other location.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein at least one of: the first performance value is derived by averaging values of a service attribute of the communication service for different points in time, the values of the service attribute forming part of the performance information associated with the characteristic location; and the second performance value is derived by averaging values of a service attribute of the communication service for different points in time, the values of the service attribute forming part of the performance information associated with the at least one other location.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the value assigned to the performance index is: a first value if the first performance value is below a difference calculated by subtracting a threshold from the second performance value; a second value if the first performance value is greater than or equal to the difference calculated by subtracting the threshold from the second performance value and smaller than a sum of the second performance value and the threshold; and a third value if the first performance value is greater than the sum of the second performance value and the threshold.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein a difference between the first performance value and the second performance value is assigned to the performance index.

18. The method of claim 1 : wherein a plurality of characteristic locations is determined for a plurality of user terminals; and wherein, for each of the plurality of characteristic locations and for each user terminal having that respective characteristic location, performance indexes related to the same service attribute of the communication service are determined.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises generating a network optimization proposal specific to the user terminal based on the performance index.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subscriber performance index indicates an approach specific to the user terminal for improving the performance of the communication service as perceived by a user of the user terminal at the characteristic location for the user.

21. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a computer program product for determining a performance index related to a performance of a communication service provided in a network, the computer program product comprising software instructions which, when run on processing circuitry, causes the processing circuitry to: determine, on an individual user terminal basis, a performance index specific to a user terminal using the communication service by comparing performance information associated with a characteristic location of the user terminal and performance information associated with at least one other location visited by the user terminal; and wherein the performance index is indicative of a relative performance of the communication service at the characteristic location of the user terminal compared to the at least one other location visited by the user terminal; wherein the performance information is subscriber-level performance information derived from subscriber-level performance statistics; and wherein the characteristic location is a location determined by at least one of: a longer time interval spent by the user terminal at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location; a higher visiting rate at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location; and a more intensive usage of the communication service at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location.

22. An apparatus for determining a performance index related to a performance of a communication service provided in a network, the communication service being usable by a mobile user terminal, the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry; and memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the processing circuitry is operable to: determine, on an individual user terminal basis, a performance index specific to a user terminal using the communication service by comparing performance information associated with a characteristic location of the user terminal and performance information associated with at least one other location visited by the user terminal; and wherein the performance index is indicative of a relative performance of the communication service at the characteristic location of the user terminal compared to the at least one other location visited by the user terminal; wherein the performance information is subscriber-level performance information derived from subscriber-level performance statistics; and wherein the characteristic location is a location determined by at least one of: a longer time interval spent by the user terminal at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location; a higher visiting rate at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location; and a more intensive usage of the communication service at the characteristic location than at the at least one other location.